


Sing of Our Forgotten Dreams

by Hawkguys_and_Coffee



Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Orpheus, Coffee Shops, Don't forget that Hermes is also the trickster god, Eurydice works at a coffee shop, F/M, Goddam I love this show, Hermes is a legend, I’d tag some other characters but that would be sPoILeRs, I’m a slow writer but I’m doing my best here, Orpheus works at the bar, Sorry for slaughtering your story Anaïs, i dunno yet - Freeform, no beta we die like men, rip my life 2k19, that the fates own, the other gods might show up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-07-23 12:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20008294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkguys_and_Coffee/pseuds/Hawkguys_and_Coffee
Summary: And brother thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice.A kinda (not really) coffee shop au where Eurydice takes pity on Orpheus who's playing in the cold and decides to buy him coffee.  It's a tale of a love from not that long ago.A/N  I’m not dead just getting my mental health in shape before I start writing again





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just for full disclosure, I know absolutely _nothing_ about coffee. It's only in my username because of the Hawkeyes.

If one happened to walk down West Harrison Street in Chicago on the twenty-third day of November at exactly seven thirty-eight am, there wouldn't be much to see. A few snow covered cars, a handful of city dwellers busily making their way to work, or a stray soda can crushed by the sidewalk would be the first to catch one's eye. Or perhaps a turning tree or the shining lights of a car. Nothing out of the ordinary for a usual late autumn day.

What was amazing about West Harrison Street at exactly seven thirty-eight am was the quiet music drifting through the air like a feather in the wind. Light, alluring, peaceful. One even might go as far as calling it enchanting, even. The music somehow made the fallen leaves of trees seem brighter, made the light from windows seem warmer. It immediately filled one's senses until it was all they could hear. 

And that was exactly what happened to Eurydice as she walked to work, going down a different street than usual due to the construction on Roosevelt road. As if in a trance, the young girl made her way over to the source, wondering how such a beautiful melody had found its way to a desolate part of the city like this.

With one hand resting on the corner of the brick wall before her, she peeked over the edge to see where the music was coming from. A small smile found its way to her lips.

A man- no, a boy (for he couldn't be older than twenty) was sitting on the front step of a bedraggled apartment. A guitar rested on his bent knees as he softly plucked out a gentle tune and sang quietly. Every few moments, he would turn away and scribble something on what Eurydice could only assume was a piece of paper. The boy had a thin frame, uncovered head, and threadbare red scarf.

Slowly, Eurydice made her way over, entranced. For some weird reason the world seemed brighter with the music. It wasn't until she was a few feet away that she spoke.

"That's pretty." Her voice seemed harsh against the soft atmosphere the music had provided. 

Almost immediately, the boy looked up and stopped his music. He flustered, mouth opening and closing before a strangled thanks came out.

Eurydice bit back a laugh. He looked handsome, but not in an everyday sort of way. Piercing hazel eyes met her gaze, and she couldn’t help but feel a little bit warmer. The boy’s bangs fell in front of his eyes, so much so that he had to push them away every now and then. Her glanced trailed away from his face, down to his lanky legs and the well-worn pair of shoes he had on. Sitting not a few feet away was a tin with a few dollar bills inside. She thought that he must be playing for cash. 

Eurydice’s hand went to her back pocket, and she muttered a curse under her breath, "Sorry, I don't have any money- left my wallet at home." She gestured sadly to the tin.

"Oh, it's- it's alright." The boy gingerly placed his guitar on the step next to him and stood up. Eurydice couldn't help but note that he was an entire head taller than her. "I don't play for money usually, but Mr. Hermes suggested it 'cause I need the extra cash and all. Said it was too good of an opportunity to pass by. . ." He trailed off, a light blush on his cheeks. 

“Is that why you’re playing out in the cold?”

“Huh? Yeah. The heat in my apartment broke so I figured I could make a few bucks while someone calls the landlord.” He shrugged and looked down at the ground. "It's not a big deal." Was hastily added not a moment after.

"Nonsense," Eurydice said. It was cold, and the boy was clad in a denim jacket of all things. "It's about thirty degrees out! I'll buy you a cup of coffee. I'm on my way to work anyways."

The boy hesitated, glancing back at his guitar. She could tell that he was weighing his options: go with a random stranger for a warm cuppa or keep playing in the cold for a spare dollar or two.

"C'mon,” She pleaded. “Jewelle lets me get free coffees when it's cold out." 

He thought it over, biting his lip. Eurydice couldn't help but think he looked cute doing so. "Just give me a moment, alright? I need to put this away." The boy hastily shoved his papers into his pocket then dashed inside, guitar and money tin in hand.

While he was in what she could only assume was his apartment, she checked the group chat that had all her co-workers in it. It was Jewelle’s day off and her sisters were out of town. Even Afra and Tim couldn’t make it today. It looked like it would just be her, coffee, and the strange boy for the day. A part of her wondered why she was doing this, inviting a random stranger to coffee. He could be a stalker, or a killer, or some crazy person. She didn’t know a thing about him. Well, besides the fact that he played. And yet. . . there was something about him that drew her in, something that made her want to get to know the boy.

“You ready, then?” She said as soon as he walked out of the door. His guitar had been replaced by a phone. “Shop’s only a block away.”

“Yeah. Lead the way.”

They walked for a few moments in awkward silence, neither knowing what exactly to say. What were you supposed to say, when you were walking with a complete stranger? Eurydice kept checking her phone in hope that she could answer a text for something to do, but it was all in vain. The boy seemed too polite to do so as well, instead tapping a rhythm against the side of his leg with a pen.

“You’re very good at playing, you know,” She murmured, tucking her phone back into her pocket. A small shiver went up her arm as her sleeve rode up leaving her wrist exposed to the bitter cold. “Where’d you learn to play?”

The boy grinned before looking at the ground. “My momma taught me when I was a kid.”

“Aren’t you still a kid? You seem kinda young to me.” Eurydice said with a pointed look, fighting a grin.

He looked offended. “I’m nineteen!” The boy proceeded to quirk an eyebrow in her direction, smile playing at his lips. Hesitant, but there in every way. “And how old are you, might I ask?”

“I’m twenty-one.” She said with a bit too much pride in her voice. The boy snorted and said something under his breath. He didn’t seem to be buying it. “Alright,” Eurydice confessed. “I’m almost twenty-one.”

“How much is almost?” He still had that damn smile on his face.

“A month,” Eurydice confessed as she paused in front of the shop. A little sign saying Three Fates declared it the sisters’ coffee shop. The boy stopped as well, pen still tapping his leg.

“A month? A whole month?” He said, voice infused with mock shock.

“Oh, c’mon. I’m practically an adult,” She countered.

“Practically, but not really.”

Eurydice rolled her eyes. “Let’s get inside.” With a flourish she opened the doors, revealing the cozy rail road themed café. No matter how many times she had stepped foot inside, the interior always made her smile. The sisters, as strange as they were, had a flare for designing that really shone through.

The counter was made of roughly polished wood, giving off a sort of rustic look. At the bottom, a set of iron rails edged the counter, ones made to look like railroad tracks. Small, uncovered lights dangled from the curved ceiling like faeries.

“Take a seat wherever.” She gestured to the bar stools that lined the walls. “I just need to get the heater running and set up shop.” With that, Eurydice left the boy and went to the back room, hastily putting on the light gray apron and name tag without much thought. 

It was muscle memory now, since she had worked here all but three years, ever since leaving high school. It payed enough to get by, at least until she could find a better job and a better apartment.

By the time she got back, the boy was sitting down, head bent over his phone. Eurydice leaned her elbows on the counter and cleared her throat to get his attention. “What do you want? Mocha? Coffee? Tea?” 

Instead of replying, he made his way over to her, glancing at the menu above her head. “I’ll just take a coffee. Milk but no sugar.” 

She nodded. It only took her a few moments to make the coffee, and, by the time she went over to the boy, he was back at the table still tapping a tune. Taking the drink gratefully, he took his eyes off the cup in front of him and looked at her.

It took Eurydice too long to realize he was staring at her chest. Openly. A blush rose to her cheeks. She was just about ready to slap that look off his face and spout an angry rant to put him back in his place. How dare he do that, just a few minutes after they had met? Maybe he really was just another pervert looking for another-

“Eurydice. That’s a beautiful name,” He said. No sooner had he said those words did her hand fly up to her nametag. The boy looked down at his coffee, a blush coloring his cheeks. “Sorry, I-” 

Eurydice interrupted him with a huff. “And what’s your name?” She asked coldly.

He faltered. “Orpheus. My name’s Orpheus.”

“Well, Orpheus.” She tried the name out on her lips, hating the way it rolled off her tongue easily and lightly. Almost like a melody in and of itself. “Didn’t your momma tell you it’s rude to stare?”

“Oh no- I’m not like that. That’s not what I was doing- I was looking at your name tag.” Orpheus put his hands up at his sides, still holding the steaming mug of coffee. By now, he was blushing too. “I swear. Just your name tag.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You swear?”

“I swear.”

Eurydice didn’t know why she believed him. Maybe it was his crooked grin, or his stupidly beautiful eyes. Or maybe the fact that his voice was light, innocent. God, she couldn’t fathom that she was trusting this stranger! A part of her was whispering to kick him out, but Eurydice ignored it. Instead, she slid into the chair across from him, an eyebrow raised expectantly. 

“So,” She started, eyes flickering from the pen in his hand back up to his face. “What’re you doing?”

“. . . Drinking coffee?” Orpheus said, slightly confused. His cheeks were still tinged pink.

Eurydice huffed and leaned forwards on the table so her head was resting on her palm. “No, that’s not what I meant.” She gestured plainly to his hand. “That. What’s the whole tapping thing? You’ve been doing it nonstop.”

“Oh, that.” Orpheus stopped and placed the pen on the table. There was a few moment’s pause. “I’m writing a song and I can’t get the notes right.”

“You’re using a pen. Last time I checked, pens don’t make notes.”

“I’m doing it in my head. The pen’s just to keep the rhythm.”

“In your head?” She hated that she was slightly intrigued. “How the hell does that work?” 

“I dunno. I can just do it. Mr. Hermes says it’s a gift, but I just call it annoying ‘cause the notes never come out right.” 

“Maybe I can help?” Eurydice had to admit that she didn’t know jack about music. The closest thing she had gotten to it was ninth grade band class, when she had spontaneously taken up the flute. Long story short, it hadn’t turned out well. She had beyond failed that class, leaving a permanent stain on transcript.

Orpheus tucked his pen behind his ear and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “It’s not finished yet.” 

She looked at the scribbled notes next to his elbow. It was a concoction of pen marks, fold lines, and ink smudges. “Let’s make a deal,” Eurydice said, grabbing the paper and looking it over as if she had any idea what it was. “If you sing your song, then I’ll buy you a coffee next time I see you.”

He sighed and snatched the paper back. “Alright. You owe me a coffee. But I don’t have my guitar, so it won’t sound right.”

“Fine by me,” Eurydice laughed, leaning back on two legs of her chair. A small smile graced her lips as she watched him.

Orpheus straightened, and gave her a hesitant smile that totally _didn’t_ make her heart melt. He tapped a simple tune out on the table to find the rhythm. Then, he sang.

Like it did on the street earlier, the music made the world seem brighter, happier even. It filled Eurydice with a warm fuzzy feeling, and gave her butterflies in her stomach. The tune drifted through the air melodiously, filling every empty space in the little café. There were no words, just Orpheus singing one note over and over again. 

To anyone else, it would seem stupid. But to Eurydice, it sounded beautiful. Like the warm sun and the gentle breeze that came with it. Like the sound of ocean waves or twittering birds. Like the smell of flowers in the morning air, the scent of chlorine from a pool. Like summer.

And, just as fast as it had begun, it stopped.

Eurydice opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them in the first place. It took her a few seconds to find her voice. “That was good. Orpheus, that was _amazing_ ,” She said, falling forward with a thump of her chair. “That was- that was- wow.”

He grinned his sheepish grin and said, “You really think so?”

“You don’t? C’mon. Trust me. You have a gift.” She paused and gave a false scoff. “Well, I guess I owe you a coffee now, don’t I?”

Orpheus laughed, “Yeah, I guess you do.”

Their conversation was cut short by the tinkle of a bell.

“I’ll be over in a second,” Eurydice called, before turning back to Orpheus. “You should play for money. Not as a street player, but for gigs and stuff. People would pay to hear that song.” With that, she got up, dusted off her apron, and made her way over to the new customer. (Eurydice didn’t send Orpheus a glance from behind the counter. Totally not.)

“Hello, welcome to Three Fates. What can I get for you?”

As it turned out, quite a bit actually. Four lattes, three mochas, and one black coffee. The customer looked to be on a coffee run of sorts. It wasn’t that Eurydice hated her job, sometimes it was just tedious. 

She sighed as she poured the second mocha. From where she was in the room, Orpheus’s table was hidden by the wall. In a way she was annoyed at herself for wanting to see him. He was just another customer, right? Besides, she shouldn’t spy on him. Even if he was cute and could sing a pretty song.

“Shit,” She muttered, realizing she had poured coffee over the rim of the drink. Eurydice placed the cup down gently and grabbed a rag to clean up most of the mess. She would have to mop it later.

It took fifteen minutes to make all eight drinks, and another five to make the payment (the man forgot his wallet in the car). As soon as the customer was out the door balancing two coffee trays in one hand, and after Eurydice had cleaned up the spilled coffee, she could finally finish her conversation with Orpheus. Her apron was still slightly damp, but it didn’t really matter. It would be dry within a half hour or so.

“So, Orpheus,” She began as she rounded the corner to his table. “I was wondering if-” Eurydice stopped talking abruptly. The boy was gone, as was his coffee mug. “Dammit,” She cursed, not for the first time that day. He must have used the back door while she was with the customer.

Right when she had begun to warm up to Orpheus, he had left.

“Dammit,” Eurydice said again. Things had been going so well, and she had started to like him, too. And it wasn’t every day she took a liking to a random person on the street.

She sat down in his seat with a huff. She was disappointed, not in Orpheus, but in herself. What had she done to scare him away? As she put her head in her hands, a napkin caught her eye. It wasn’t crumpled or folded, but laid out plainly. A few pen markings were on it. Intrigued, Eurydice pulled it towards her. 

_I have a gig at 64066 Olympus street. 5 o’clock. See you then?_  
_-O_  
_Ps- Sorry, I had to get to work across town. Thanks for the coffee. I had a good time._

She grinned and folded the napkin in her jeans pocket for safekeeping. Maybe there was still something between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to put 666 in the address 'cause c'mon- it's Hadestown (fun fact I also put in the number 40 'cause that's the number of songs). Originally, I had the Ancient Greek names of the fates but it didn't have a good ring to it so I used the cast members' names. Another fun fact: It took me an hour of staring at a blank screen to think of a decent title. 
> 
> *mostly shameless self promo: here's a drawing of Eurydice I drew last week. I like it, so I thought ya'll might wanna see it? 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed my semi-trashy writing. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was trying to post this before school started, but a camping trip got in the way, then I realized the mas amount of summer homework I had to finish for history. So,,,,, hehe i'msorryplsforgiveme.
> 
> Lemme just say thanks to the glorious Loveinheaven (I'd tag u but I don't really know how. I'm still new to this site.)
> 
> I'm planning some Big Stuff for this fic, and, hopefully, it'll someday be completed.

“You’re telling me a boy asked _you_ out?” Khaila’s voice said from the other end of the phone. “You, of all people?”

Eurydice balanced her cellphone on her shoulder and walked over to the bedside table where the napkin note lay from earlier. She smiled despite herself as she looked at Orpheus’s messy handwriting. “Why yes, believe it or not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, now will you shut up and help me figure out what to wear? I can’t wear the same clothes I was wearing earlier, ‘cause I spilled coffee on it. . . That’s beside the point. Anyways, I have a half hour before I leave ‘cause I wanted to get there early. I’m running out of time. Help.” Eurydice was back to pacing in her little apartment bedroom. The girl glanced around her room dismally, taking in the open closet and scattered clothes that littered the floor that had been clean mere minutes ago. The curtains were drawn (as usual) so the light was coming from a ceiling lamp, casting long shadows onto the walls.

There was a pause on Khaila’s end as Eurydice kicked a grey jacket into her closet. “I dunno, wear that one white tank top you got. It’s cute.”  
“It’s thirty degrees out,” She said slowly.

Damn, this was harder than she thought it would be. She had already checked the address three times (it was a small little restaurant on the other side of town) and made sure that the time was right. Exactly five o’clock. She checked again just to be sure.

“Then put a coat on,” Her friend advised tiredly. “Look, I have to go; my breaks almost up and you know how my boss is. Here’s my word of advice for you: have fun, don’t be stupid, and use protection.”

“Khaila!” Eurydice exclaimed, but she had already hung up.

With an exaggerated groan, she flopped onto her bed, hair covering her face. Brushing it out of her sight and dropping her phone onto her chest, she muttered, “You better be worth this trouble, Orpheus.”

She ended up wearing the dumb white tank top anyways.

\---

True to Khaila’s word, it was freezing outside. Slush covered the ground, giving it a slippery texture that made it hard to walk on. To make matters worse, the street was crowded with the after-work rush that she usually tried to avoid. And, no matter how hard she tried, the wind still seemed to seep through Eurydice’s jacket. She regretted not taking the time to find her windbreaker. 

She kept checking her phone in hope of a text message (from who exactly, she wasn’t sure). She knew the streets well, and weaved her way through crowds expertly and without trouble. Sure, there was always that rare type of person who wouldn’t move out of the way when asked, but Eurydice was so focused on her destination that she didn’t care.

The only thing she could think about was seeing Orpheus and his shy smile again. Hearing him sing wouldn’t hurt either. 

“Excuse me,” She muttered under her breath, trying not to get in the stranger’s way. It only half worked, because as soon as she had cleared him, Eurydice tumbled face-first onto the pavement.

She let out a string of curses and quickly picked herself off the ground so she wouldn’t get trampled. “Damn.” Was all she said upon realizing her shoelace had been untied. Instead of tying it like Eurydice knew she should have, she continued on her way, this time taking extra caution where she was walking. 

There wasn’t much to see during the winter days of Chicago. Cabs and busses sped by, not even giving the pedestrians a second glance. People chatted, and babies cried, and venders yelled. Others kept their head low to check their phones, not bothering to avoid collisions. Dogs barked. Tired screeched. All these sounds came together to form of cacophony that only belonged to the city.

Eurydice checked her phone once more, remembering to take a left on Clermont Street and a right on Pulitzer Avenue. Her mood only brightened when she saw the flashing sign that said _Fruit of the Vine_ and a red flower depicted beneath.

As it turned out, it wasn’t a restaurant at all. It was a bar. A bar that happened to have a bouncer. Why had Orpheus given her directions to a bar if she was underage? Eurydice cursed under her breath, her hand immediately going to her back pocket where her ID was. The thought of ditching crossed her mind, but the girl ultimately decided against it. She wanted to see Orpheus play. 

With the vain hope of making it past the door without being seen, she surged forwards confidently and blatantly ignored the man. It didn’t work.  
“Just a second, girl,” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

She turned around and faced him. Putting on what she hoped was an innocent smile. The man had dark skin that was weathered with age. He was wearing a smart silver jacket that almost matched the exact shade of his hair. Not threatening, per say, but still problem. It was his word whether she could enter or not, after all.

“Yeah?” Eurydice asked, trying not to sound worried. She shuffled her feet nervously.

He raised an eyebrow and held out a hand. “Can I see your ID?”

She silently gave it to him. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the one-month barrier that kept her from entering the bar. Or, better yet, he wouldn’t care.  
“I see,” The man murmured in a tone that Eurydice couldn’t quite read as he glanced it over. There was a tense pause, and, for a second she thought he would kick her out. Instead, he said, “Are you the one that Orpheus invited?”

“Yes,” She replied, holding her breath in anticipation. Did he know him?

The man gave her back the card with a wink. “Then I didn’t see you here.”

“What?”

“Go on. Just don’t tell a soul.”

“Thank you so much!” A wave of relief flooded over her. She could see Orpheus play again. Without a second word, Eurydice sauntered through the doors, giving the man a nod of appreciation.

The first thing she noticed was the wave of heat that just about smacked her in the face. The inside of the bar was warm and full, people of all likenesses chattering away mindlessly. It was pleasant, with the space heaters hanging from the ceiling like lamps and the dull lighting they gave off somehow making the atmosphere all the happier.

Eurydice pushed a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. She couldn’t see Orpheus, but, then again, he was scheduled to play in twenty minutes. She somehow made her way to the bar where there weren’t many people. Almost everyone was on the far side of the room, watching a lady in green sing and sway to the tune of the music. She couldn’t help but watch, too.

The woman’s voice was rough but controlled, quiet yet melodious. It didn’t sound half bad the way it fit the lyrics. Eurydice glanced around once more, and, finding nothing of interest, sat down at the bar. 

She tied her shoe against the adjoining stool, scoffing as the wet material of her jeans stuck to her knees. After a few tries (her fingers were numb from cold) she got it knotted. As a futile attempt to dry off her jeans, Eurydice rubbed the end of her jacket across the fabric. It didn’t work.

“Need any help with that?” A voice asked from somewhere behind the counter.

She looked up, only to see Orpheus in all of his glory. Except this time, he was clad in long-sleeved t-shirt and a white apron, a silver name tag shining on the strap. His bangs still hung in front of his eyes, and Eurydice wondered distractedly if he had even bothered to brush his hair. She couldn’t help but notice that his sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, exposing his forearms. He looked. . . good. Cute, she might even go as far as saying.

“Isn’t it rude to stare?” Orpheus stated bluntly, a hint of humor in his voice. Eurydice looked down at the table, too embarrassed to say anything.

“Sorry,” She muttered. Then, with a grin, added, “Nice nametag.” 

Orpheus chuckled and casually leaned against the bar. “Thanks.”

Instead of replying, Eurydice just cocked her head and laughed. It was funny the way they interacted. Like they were friends despite only having met twice. And yet, she couldn’t help but get lost in his hazel eyes, the way they sparkled when he laughed. Or the way the yellow lights of the bar made his hair look lighter, almost blonde if you squinted. Orpheus was just. . . everything she had ever wanted in someone. And she barely knew him.

There was a sharp rap on the bar a few feet away. “Can I get a refill?” Came a gruff voice, no doubt one of the regulars.

He glanced over and replied, “Be there in a sec.”

Eurydice watched him recede to the other side of the bar, wondering if this was how Orpheus had felt earlier in the day when she had to serve a customer at the coffee shop. Right when they were about to have a good conversation, it was interrupted by someone. 

With a sigh, she leaned back and drummed her fingers against the tabletop. Orpheus was chatting pleasantly with the customer as he filled the mug with an amber colored liquid. Eurydice watched him with blind eyes, simply taking in the way he moved and admiring him from a distance.

Just as Orpheus was turning around to give the man back his drink, he caught her eye and, with a roguish grin, _winked._

Eurydice just about melted.

“Sorry about that,” He said as soon as he was back and leaning forwards again.

She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “It’s not a big deal.”

There was a semi-awkward pause when neither knew what to say. Eurydice looked down and fiddled with her many bracelets and Orpheus drummed his fingers on the table, deep in thought. 

“You’re nineteen.” She leaned forwards on the bar: elbows on the table, chin resting in her hands.

He laughed and mimicked her position until they were almost nose to nose. “Yeah. What of it?”

“You’re nineteen and you work at a bar.”

He hummed in response.

“Last time I checked, that was illegal.”

Orpheus laughed and nodded at something behind her. “You know that guy by the door?” It was the man that let her pass without an ID. “That’s Mr. Hermes. He owns the joint and let me work here since I was seventeen.”

“Him?” She asked, not fully believing it. Sure, he had bended the rules a bit to let her in, but Eurydice didn’t think he would really let a seventeen-year-old work at a bar.

“Yeah, he’s pretty great.” Orpheus looked down at his hands. “Practically raised me, too.” Instead of waiting for her to reply, he glanced at the clock across the room. “Well,” He said, “I better get ready. Persephone’s gonna call me up to sing in five.” He gave the table a little tap before leaving.

Eurydice got up too, this time settling into a chair in the back of the bar so she was far enough to be away from the people, but close enough to still see the stage. Someone in the audience handed a bottle of wine to the lady up on the stage, and she took it gratefully as she finished her last song. 

“Cheers,” She said, raising it up to her lips and taking a long drink. The audience whooped and laughed, and Eurydice couldn’t help but join in as well. The woman’s cheeks were a rosy red (from the alcohol or the singing, Eurydice didn’t know) and her brown curls tumbled down her back gracefully. A voice from the crowd called out, “Yeah Seph!” 

The woman- Seph- gave a dramatic bow (the bottle held firmly by the neck) then grinned at the audience. It was the type of smile that reached her eyes and made the room seem warmer. Pausing a moment to put the microphone back on the stand, she added, “I know you’ve all been waiting for me to finish singing to hear young Orpheus.” Her sparkling eyes met Eurydice’s and the woman smiled once more. “And let me just say, you have every right to. Now I could keep talking here all day to keep you waiting. . . But that stopped being fun ages ago. So, without further ado, here’s our very own Orpheus!”

Judging by the way the audience exploded, he must have been quite popular. Eurydice couldn’t even catch the words exchanged between him and Seph over the roaring crowd. Somehow, the bar seemed more packed than it had been a half hour ago. 

“Thanks for the intro, Seph,” Orpheus said, leaning into the microphone as he swung his guitar over his shoulder, a small smile on his face. His shy demeanor gradually began to melt away when he started to puck out the beginnings of a song. Eurydice found herself leaning closer to the stage when he sang, listening intently as the harmonies and melodies blending seamlessly. 

The last murmurings in the bar quieted, and everyone seemed to be entranced. Sure, there was the occasion clink of a glass and whisper, but it compared nothing to Orpheus’s music. It seemed to fill the whole room with its notes. It even made everything seem happier.

A few songs in, Orpheus kneeled at the edge of the stage. “Does anyone have a jacket? It’s kinda drafty in here and I forgot mine . . . somewhere.” He spoke it casually, as if he were conversing with his friends or neighbors.

Not a minute later, Orpheus was fumbling to catch a black jacket thrown in his general direction. 

“Thanks John.”

All the while, Eurydice was watching him play with wide eyes, taking in every miniscule movement and action. The way he shuffled his feet while playing, or how he would keep pushing his bangs from his eyes. Even the way he would lean back slightly when playing a particularly complicated riff. It just. . . completed him.

These were the things she was thinking about when he finished playing, and the same things she couldn’t help but picture when Orpheus asked if he could walk her home. The question had come suddenly and even seemed to shock Orpheus as well.

“It’s fine.” Eurydice glanced down at the ground. “I can just walk by myself. It’s only a few blocks.” 

He nodded to the area outside. “Trust me, you don’t want to know what happens around this area at night. Besides- My shift is over. It’s not a big deal.” The boy paused a moment in thought. “Costs less than a cab.”

She chuckled and checked her watch. It was getting late. . .

“Fine.”

Orpheus grinned while pushing the door open, a cold rush of air in his wake. It was sprinkling again. “Lead the way.” 

“Do you play at the bar often?” Eurydice asked once they were a few blocks away.

“Yeah. Since I was sixteen.”

“Well, you are very good at it. Really good.”

He bit his lip as if to say something, but didn’t reply to the comment. One glance was all it took for Eurydice to notice that something she had said had bothered the boy. 

She stopped under a lamppost. “What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing.” He said a bit too quickly.

“Orpheus.” Eurydice brushed her damp hair from her face and settled on giving him a pointed look, watching the harsh lighting emphasize his cheekbones. It made his hair look lighter.

He mumbled something under his breath, but she couldn’t catch what.

“Hey,” She said gently, putting a hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“I dunno. . . It’s just,” He trailed off, looking away. “It’s just that everyone thinks of me as a musician, and nothing else. They don’t really see me, and it seems like all their complements are for the way I play. Not how I wrote the lyrics or how I hit the note. Just the music.

"To everyone, I’m not Orpheus. I’m Orpheus the Guitarist or Orpheus the Composer. Even Mr. Hermes calls me Artiste.” He scoffed. “People only notice me for my music. Nothing else.”

Eurydice blinked dumbly. She hadn’t expected him to have an outburst like that, much less about her comment.

Taking a second to lean against the lamppost, she said, “Well, if it makes you feel better, I took choir all four years of high school. Even had a few solos during the concerts, but that’s beside the point. Anyways, some people started to call me Songbird, and it really got on my nerves. Before I knew it even the teachers were calling me that.” She paused and looked at Orpheus. “The point is people see what they want to see. You just have to surround yourself with people who see who you really are.” 

“Like you?” Orpheus grinned.

She faltered. Were they friends? They had only known each other for a day, but to her it felt like years. Funny how life worked like that. 

“Sure.” Before he could respond, Eurydice walked backwards and added, “C’mon. We don’t want to be out here all night. My apartment’s about two blocks away.”

Stuffing his hands into his pockets (Orpheus had given the jacket back to John and it was a wonder that he wasn’t freezing out in the cold) he jogged to her side.

“Thanks for that, by the way,” He said quietly a few minutes later.

“For what?”

“What you said. Earlier.”

She paused. “No problem.”

By now they were approaching her door (an old brown one with the paint peeling) and Eurydice dug into her pocket to grab her keys. Orpheus seemed to notice, because he began to slow down his pace in the hope that it would keep them together longer. 

“Well,” She hovered over the doorstep, not wanting to go in. “This is my stop.”

He brushed his hair from his eyes and met her gaze. “Guess it is.”

“See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Orpheus gave a lopsided grin. “I’ll text you. Or call you. Whichever.”

“You don’t have my phone number.” 

“Ah.” He trifled through his pockets and pulled out a pen and scrap of paper. He bent down and wrote something against his knee, handing it over a moment later. “Now you have mine.”

Eurydice met his hazel eyes once more. She could get lost in them, the way they sparkled. It was so cold out that she could see her breath, but it didn’t bother her. Right now she felt warm. 

She clutched the piece of paper in her hand. “Are you serious?” 

“Yes.”

Orpheus reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear gently, his fingertips brushed her cheeks like a feather. The simple act seemed to send electricity down Eurydice’s body. This. . . wasn’t so bad. Even though she had known Orpheus for less than a day, it somehow felt like years. It somehow felt like an eternity.

He didn’t move his hand away. Instead, he cupped her cheek gently. Eurydice couldn’t help but lean into his touch, the warmth comforting her.  
She was close to him now, close enough to see the flecks of green and gold in his otherwise hazel eyes. Close enough to smell his scent of leather and earth. Close enough to see the rosy color in his cheeks. Close enough to even kiss.

They were about to do it, too. That is, before a window slammed a few stories above. Loudly.

Orpheus yanked his hand back as if he had touched fire and Eurydice nearly jumped out of her skin. There was an awkward pause when neither knew what to do, say, or feel. One part of Eurydice wanted to shout profanities at whatever idiot had slammed a window shut in the middle of the night, but another part wanted to go back to Orpheus. And what had almost been.

He looked nervous, as if he had suddenly realized where he was and what he was doing. Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, the boy said, “I should go. It’s late.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he beat her to the punch. “See you around, I guess.”

Orpheus was gone before she could think of anything to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just meh. Sorry. 
> 
> Me, simply _trying._
> 
> When you realize both of ur chapters end with Orpheus leaving Eurydice behind. Welp, I guess you could say it's kinda like the musical. >:))))
> 
> Comment, kudos, or just ignore me. *finger guns away*


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS I'm so sorry for publishing this a week late. I try to publish every three weeks on a Wednesday but school really got to me. I still need to find a way of balancing homework and down time and sleep. I feel really bad with making you wait, so hopefully this chapter will make up for it??

As winter approached more and more, leaves fluttered from trees to the ground in a colorful array, signifying the change of seasons. It got colder out too, the temperature descending to the low twenties. With each breath, a puff off air wafted towards the sky like the soul of the newly deceased. Hats were drawn lower, coats closer, and shoes tighter. Umbrellas were found in closets, and heaters warmed to the max. Chicago was falling into the mellowing patterns of the winter season, this one seeming colder than ever before. Then again, that’s how every year felt.

Snow crunched pleasantly under Eurydice’s feet as she walked to work one morning, her pace quickening as the cold crept under her coat. It was an old thing, one that she had gotten for one birthday or another. The collar could barely stand up on its own and one of the pockets had a quarter-sized whole. The sleeves had been torn and hemmed more than once, so much so that one of them had a ragged edge. Despite this, Eurydice loved the jacket.

She was walking down West Harrison Street as always, the vain hope of finding Orpheus playing on the fronts steps creeping into her mind. Nearly a week had passed since their little moment outside of her apartment, and Eurydice still hadn’t plucked up the courage to send him a text. And, as contact name that read ‘Orpheus’ got buried by other texts from friends, she had almost forgotten about him.

Almost.

The thing was, Eurydice couldn’t get Orpheus out of her head. Maybe it was the melody of his music, or the soft hum of his voice. A part of her was always thinking about him, like a moth focused on light. Dangerous, but pleasing in a sort of way. 

She laughed to herself at the idea. Who would have thought that she would be so focused on a stranger? A part of her wondered if that was what they really were. Sure, it had only been one day since they met, but a lot had happened. They had talked, even exchanged phone numbers. Almost kissed.

Yes, Eurydice decided. They more than strangers. They were . . . friends. Pulling her jacket closer, she continued on her way, a spring to her step and song in her head.

A few minutes later she swung open the door to Three Fates and clamored inside. As always, it had a warm interior. The gentle lights that framed the walls and the smell of vanilla and cinnamon gave off a cheerful atmosphere. Shuffling to avoid the few customers, Eurydice ducked under the counter and donned her light gray apron (now coffee stain-less). The line was only two people deep and Afra was manning the counter.

The girl’s mass of brown curls was escaping from her ponytail, little skews of hair framing her face. She looked busy but awake.

“You’re late,” Afra stated bluntly as she mixed one beverage or another. Her words had no real force behind them.

Eurydice chuckled dryly, pausing momentarily to tie her apron behind her back. “Woke up late,” she said under her breath, hoping Afra wouldn’t hear. There was no such luck because she could practically _hear_ her rolling her eyes. 

“More like went to bed early.” Afra handed the cup of coffee to a customer, then turned her attention back to her friend, her lips in a firm line. “What time did you even go to sleep? Two? Three? Later than that? C’mon ‘Rydice. We agreed.”

Eurydice didn’t meet her eyes. Couldn’t. “I know it’s just. . . “ 

Her friend sighed and turned back to the dormant coffee machines. Eurydice stood by the counter, watching Afra as she turned one on one machine, scooped ground beans into it, and poured in a healthy dose of water. She checked the door to see if a customer had arrived. The only thing outside was the melancholy swirl of pale snow.

“What’re you doing?” Eurydice asked dully, turning her attention back to the coffee maker.

Afra dusted off her hands and looked up from her work. The coffee maker bubbled and steamed as a steaming brown liquid poured into the cup below. “Making coffee so you don’t fall asleep on the job.”

“You know I can’t pay for that-“

“Shush.” Her friend plucked her phone from her hand and replaced it with a steaming mug of coffee. “It’s on me.”

Eurydice opened her mouth to protest but Afra pulled her to an empty table across from the counter instead. The shop was empty except for the two of them.

“Sit.” 

She did.

The clock above the door ticked passively as the minutes wore on. Eurydice sipped her coffee slowly, hating how it made her seem more awake, more aware. She couldn’t help but feel a little spite that the caffeine was working. The warmth spread through her body slowly, feeling almost like settling into a warm bath. The coffee tasted reminiscently of cinnamon and vanilla, an odd yet pleasant combination. 

It wasn’t until Eurydice had downed the entire cup that her friend began to speak. “You should really see someone about this,” Afra murmured, not wanting to break the silence.

She snorted. “Just for them so say I can’t do anything about it? I’m not wasting money on that.”

For years she had been unable to capture sleep. It always seemed to spill through her fingers the moment she caught it, like sand in a strainer. She didn’t know how long she had been like this- just that it was the way it was. So instead she learned little ways to calm her mind late at night. Don’t go online. Don’t read a book. Don’t think too hard or you’ll stay up for hours.

“Have you tried getting books about insomnia? That could help.” Eurydice closed her eyes tiredly and reminded herself that her friend really was trying to help her.

“Those don’t do shit. I’m fine Afra, really. 

Her friend slowly glanced at the coffee cup in her hands and raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that?” 

“I’m _fine_. Things just sorta. . . slipped my mind last night.”

Afra’s eyes flicked up to meet hers. “What sorta things?”

Orpheus and his easy smile. Orpheus and the gentle strumming of his guitar. Orpheus and the way he seemed to glow under the yellow light of a streetlamp. Orpheus.

“Nothing that concerns you,” Eurydice replied.

Afra traced the wood grain on the tabletop with a finger lazily. “So. . . my friend’s wellbeing is none of my business?”

“Yep.”

“ _Eurdice_.” Afra practically glared at her. It wasn’t the playful sort of glare that was thrown across the room casually. No, this was a firm, steely-eyed glare that somehow had a touch of love in it. This was a glare that made people shrink away but still a glare that made people realize that they weren’t battling things alone.

“It’ll sound stupid,” She muttered, crossing her arms and shuffling the coffee cup from one hand to the next.

“I doubt that,” Afra shot back.

Eurydice hesitated. This really was stupid, wasn’t it? Before she could regret saying anything, she simply said, “It’s because of a boy.” Then looked down at her coffee mug to hide her oncoming blush.

“A. . . boy?” The clock ticked loudly above the door.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

The confusion was palpable in Afra’s voice. “You’re telling me you lost sleep over a boy?”

Eurydice hummed dully in response. “Told you it was stupid.”

“Well,” Her friend began, “You could always try the natural way of falling asleep.” 

“Yeah? What do you mean by that?” Something sparked in Afra’s eyes, and Eurydice knew that nothing good would come of what she was about to say. She got up to throw her coffee cup in the trash, glancing at the clock while doing so. It was barely nine.

Instead of saying anything, Afra made a rude and suggestive gesture with her hands: two fingers and the okay symbol.

“I literally hate you,” Eurydice deadpanned.

Not even a second passed before the two girls descended into laughter. It was the jovial kind, the one where you clutch your side and laugh until your stomach hurts. The one where you can’t stop no matter how hard you try. The one that makes you feel alive.

Eurydice braced one arm on the top of the counter. “How could you say something like that? That’s terrible,” She exclaimed, trying to talk between the fits of giggles. Afra was laughing too, bending over the table.

“You had it coming.”

After a short while (more like a few minutes, as they continued to burst into giggles randomly) they got back behind the counter to wait for a few customers.

Over the course of the next few hours, they got fifteen customers, none of which happened to be Orpheus (not that Eurydice was counting).

“Hey,” She turned to her friend while stirring an iced coffee (she wondered who in the right mind would buy one when it was barely thirty degrees out). “Thanks for. . . earlier.” She couldn’t help but think back to last week, when Orpheus had said almost the exact same thing. _Thanks for that, by the way. For what you said earlier._

A small smile found its way to her lips. “My pleasure. We both needed a laugh like that anyways.” Afra leaned against the counter, smile now a devious smirk. “So. Are you gonna tell me about that boy?”

Eurydice immediately flustered and almost dropped the iced coffee. “What? No! I told you it wasn’t any of your business anyways.”

"C’mon, please?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“Hell no.”

“All I want is a name,” Afra grinned.

“If I give you a name will you stop annoying me about it?”

“Sure.” 

Eurydice gave her a pointed look. 

“Alright, yes I’ll leave you alone (for now). Just give me a name.” There was a pause. “Any day now ‘Rydice.”

“Oh God I’m gonna regret this. . .” Eurydice bit her lip, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath, but didn’t say anything. Almost thirty seconds had passed when she finally said, “Orpheus. His name’s Orpheus.”

Afra raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “What sorta name is Orpheus?” She said, arms crossed, head quirked. 

“What sorta name is Afra?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it in defeat. “Valid point.”

Eurydice let out a short but genuine laugh.

The chime of a bell ended their conversation. Two young men walked in, both stiff from the cold. Snow rested on their black jackets like confetti, and one brushed a good amount from his dark hair. They shook out their umbrellas and made their way over to the counter, talking all the while. One of them murmured “Shut up, Jesse,” under his breath with a smile.

“Welcome to Three Fates. What can I get for you today?” She said, immediately changing gears and putting a false touch happiness into her voice. Apparently it made people feel happier as well or something.

They placed their orders (a black coffee and a caramel drizzle latte) and she got to work on them, thoughts drifting to whether or not she had enough money this month to pay rent. With this job (and the job at the mall she worked weekends), it looked like she would manage to scrape by just barely once again. Eurydice had always been good with numbers, able to add large sums in her head without hesitation. Math had been the one class that she had excelled at, back when she was in high school. The girl was so focused on adding and subtracting costs that she didn’t notice the door chime as a new customer walked in.

“I got it,” Afra said, walking briskly past her to the register.

“Thanks,” Eurydice replied barely looking up. “Coffee for. . .” She paused to read the printed tags. “Miles and Jesse.”

Pushing to adjust her apron, she glanced up at the door to watch the two men go. Only, her eyes stopped halfway there, focusing instead on the customer Afra was serving. 

Shit.

A blush rose to her cheeks almost instantly and she fought the urge to duck under the counter to spare herself the embarrassment. Stray thoughts of whether or not she looked decent filled her mind, but she pushed them away in her panic. By now he was looking at Afra, and it was safe to sneak a glance.

She was so used to seeing him with a guitar that the boy seemed almost incomplete without it.

Eurydice pulled her eyes away and busied herself with cleaning up a small coffee spill she hadn’t noticed before. It took longer than it should have, partially because she didn’t want to get back to work and partially because she didn’t want to make awkward eye contact. Whatever the case, by the time she stood back up, Afra was preparing the drink and the boy was no longer at the counter.

Her friend turned with a smug smile playing at her lips, eyeing her as she threw the rag in the sink. “Funny thing, you know.”

“What?” Maybe if she played stupid Afra would dismiss it.

“That boy.”

Eurydice’s cheeks lit up again at the mention of him. Feigning innocence, she said, “What about him?” She fought the urge to turn around and sneak a glance again. It would only encourage her friend.

“That’s him isn’t it.” Afra grinned and gestured with the cup of coffee. “Orpheus.”

“How do you even know that?” Eurydice asked, though she already knew the answer.

Afra tallied the facts off with her fingers. “One, the way you panicked like a schoolgirl when he walked in. It was adorable. Two, don’t think I don’t see you wanting to look at him. Three,” She patted Eurydice on the head condescendingly. “He said his name when he ordered coffee.”

With a huff, she batted her friend’s hand a way. “Ha ha. Now are you gonna give the poor boy his coffee? It’s already been a while.”

Afra grinned wickedly, something sparking in her brown eyes. Something mischievous. Eurydice rolled her eyes and said, “You’re gonna make me deliver it, aren’t you?” That way she would have to talk to him.

“Yep.” Simple and blunt. And devious.

She swiped the cup from her, nearly spilling it. The warm scent of cinnamon and vanilla drifted up from the steam. Eurydice looked her friend dead in the eye. “Damn you Afra.”

“You know you love me.” She winked cheekily. “Now go deliver that coffee before your lover leaves.” With that, she gently pushed Eurydice forwards towards the end of the counter and ducked behind the supply room closet, whether to get more beans or give the lovers privacy, the girl didn’t know.

Eurydice stood still for a moment, the steaming coffee mug still in hand. A small smile was playing at her lips. Lover is what Afra had said. It sounded sweet, simple, charming. It rolled off the tongue like honey. Maybe, if she and Orpheus tried, that’s what they could become. Lovers.

Wiping her face clean of the smile, she trotted over to where he was sitting. It was a different spot than last time, the new seating a bit away from the counter as opposed to out of sight. 

She stopped short of his seat and paused to brush her bangs from her eyes. They had been growing out for quite a while, and Eurydice kept meaning to get them cut. Her glance landed back on Orpheus. 

He was focused on his phone, eyes low, head bent. He hadn’t noticed her yet.

She swallowed thickly, suddenly very much aware of the space between them. Her stomach twisted with nerves, and she almost laughed out loud at the situation. Why would she, of all people, be scared to talk to someone? Her entire life, she had been outgoing to most strangers, not having the time or patience to feel bashful. Her situation now was a different story.

Before she would regret not saying anything, Eurydice tapped on the table before him and said, “Is this seat taken?”

Orpheus looked up. For a second she felt entranced by his hazel eyes. It had only been a week since they’d last seen each other, but to her it felt like forever. Not wanting to give off the wrong impression, she glanced back down at the drink in hand. 

Instead of responding, he gestured for her to sit down. The miniscule gesture still made her smile.

“I didn’t realize you were working here today,” The boy said lightly, thankfully skipping over any awkward conversation. 

“I was cleaning up a spill in the back,” Eurydice replied, sneaking a look back at the counter to make sure Afra wasn’t watching them. Nothing was there but the register and coffee makers. 

He hummed in response.

Grinning like an idiot no doubt, she asked, “So what have you been up to lately? You know, besides playing your guitar.”

Orpheus thought for a moment. “Nothing much really. Turns out one of my sisters graduated college a few days back. I couldn’t go though, since it’s all the way in New York.”

This was news for Eurydice. For some reason, she would have pegged him as an only child. He had practically that he was one, back when he had commented about Mr. Hermes raising him and him alone. She leaned forwards, chin in her hands. “How many siblings do you have?”

“Four, but we haven’t talked in years. When Thalia texted me the other day and mentioned she had graduated, that was probably the first time I had heard from her in about ten years.” He shrugged indifferently, though there was a touch of sadness. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes grew dimmer, his smile smaller. 

“Ten years? That means you would have been-“

“About nine when I last saw them. Yeah,” Orpheus finished for her. He shrugged again, but this time it was more relaxed when he added, “So do you have any plans? For college or anything?”

She snorted. “I’m almost twenty-one. It’s a bit too late for that. Besides,” Eurydice made a face. “I barely passed high school anyways.” She had managed to scrape by with mostly C’s, but, given her previous grade records, it wasn’t too bad. 

Back when she was in high school, she had been focused mainly on work, letting her grades slip with each extra hour of overtime. Eurydice always knew she wasn’t academically inclined. That sort of thing just wasn’t right for her. So, the moment she had left high school, she had found the job at the coffee shop, as well as a few odd end ones down the street. For the most part, it worked out.

“How about you? With your music you sure could go places. Any plans?” She stated.

Orpheus glanced down. “Not anymore,” Was all he said.

She hummed quietly in response, unable to bring herself to ask why. The way he had avoided eye contact meant that it was something personal. Over his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the winter weather outside. Snow fell from the sky rapidly, drifting down like pieces of dust. Vague blobs of light signified that the street lights were on.

It looked. . . serene.

Eurydice fiddled with one of her rings, lost in thought. It was one of her newer ones, a silver snake winding up to the first knuckle of her middle finger. Out of the corner of her eye, she snuck a glance at Orpheus.

“Are you doing anything today?” She blurted before she knew what she was saying. Immediately, she blushed and looked down, a part of her hoping that he hadn’t heard. Little thought had gone into the sentence, and she was just as surprised as Orpheus appeared.

“I- I don’t think so,” He said, caught off guard, though a smile played at his slightly chapped lips.

Eurydice toned down her voice. “Do you wanna maybe. . . go on a walk?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie I'm not really a fan of this chapter. It's sorta sloppy and rushed but maybe that's because I've read it a half dozen times. I was trying to finish it on time but that didn't really turn out. . . Anyways, have a good day! :)
> 
> I just wanted to add- Pray for the souls of the people who passed away on September 11, 2001


	4. Chapter 4

She couldn’t help but sneak glances at Orpheus as they wandered the dim, chilly streets of Chicago. Most everyone was at work this time a day, leaving to two of them alone to the mercy of each other’s company. So far, it wasn’t half bad. That is, except for the fact that Eurydice kept getting distracted by Orpheus. 

She stared at the way white specs of snow stood out against his uncovered head making his brown hair seem darker. Or the way his eyes lit up as his gaze danced from one sight to another. Even the rosy color of his cheeks in contrast to his pale demeanor brought a smile to her face.

Eurydice stuck one hand deep into the pocket of her coat, but left the other one (the one closest to Orpheus) out. They both seemed to be hyperaware of this, because he too left his right hand at his side, his long fingers brushing at the hem of his pea coat. Such a simple gesture of holding hands seemed much too rash. Even the thought of brushing hands made Eurydice want to look down in embarrassment.

They were walking in a lethargic manner, taking their time as people walking briskly passed by. She found it relaxing, not having to hurry to help one customer or speed-walking from her first job to her next three blocks away after lunch. Everything was just . . . calming. Eurydice felt herself unwind, felt herself breath easy for the first time in what seemed like forever. When had been the last time she had taken a walk not to go somewhere, but to enjoy it?

Funny how, after knowing Orpheus for barely a week, he had already brought change into her life. She focused on the dirty snow that crunched under her feet with each step. 

Not long after they found themselves in a snow-covered park. Eurydice couldn’t remember the name of it, but she had passed by it a few times while running errands from one place or another. The snow, which must have been at least three inches by now, covered the vicinity in a pristine white blanket. The wooden benches were darker with precipitation. Icicles dripped of the edges of a fountain, jagged and uneven like a child’s ginger bread house.

Orpheus said something about sitting down at the fountain, and she followed him over to the concrete base. Rose bushes dusted in white lined the edges, and Eurydice fingered the bright red flower gently. The petal, stone cold, fell into her hand.

Despite the cold concrete beneath her she felt warm. The soft pleasure of being with Orpheus made her feel pleasant. It was like something was glowing gently in the center of her chest. As if glowing coals heated here every inch. 

“I meant to call, you know,” She stated, glancing over at him.

He nodded. “I did too. Things just. . .”

“Got in the way?” 

Eurydice knew they were both thinking the same thing: they had both wanted to call each other, but weren’t able to pluck up the courage enough to do so. She almost laughed at the thought. The girl had spent hours previous staring at her phone screen, hand hovering over the call button and Orpheus’s icon (a stock photo of a guitar for lack of other photo) while trying to decide whether it would be better to call or text. Texting wouldn’t involve awkward hesitations, but if she made a bad typo then she would have regretted it. Calling, on the other hand was faster, and you’d get immediate responses instead of pulling hair out waiting for a message. In the end, she hadn’t chosen any of them.

And neither had he.

She cleared her throat awkwardly as her gaze fluttered from one object to another. A snowy tree, a rumbling car, a woodpecker hopping across the barren earth.

“It’s funny how we don’t know jack about each other, yet here we are, sitting in a park like we’re best friends,” Eurydice said, turning to face Orpheus. 

A grin lit up his face as he brushed snow from his hair. “I can fix that.” Moving so he was directly facing her with one leg straddling the side of the fountain and the other bent before him, Orpheus said, “What do you know about me?”

It was a simple question, but Eurydice couldn’t think of much to say. “Well,” She started hesitantly, “I know you have four sisters-"

“Three. One brother,” He interrupted. “Sort of a hack if you ask me.” The boy winced and waved a hand in the air. “Sorry, go on.”

So she recounted all the information she knew about him. It wasn’t much. Eurydice knew that he had four siblings, played the guitar, was raised by Hermes, and lived in an apartment on West Harrison Street with bad heating. (She had also memorized his phone number but it wasn’t like she would state that fact out bluntly. It would sound weird). She was tallying off these facts with her fingers, only having four extended by the endo of it. The girl looked down, a part of her embarrassed that she knew so little. “That’s. . . it I guess,” Eurydice murmured. “Your turn.”

He caught her eye and laughed. “Not too bad, though.” Setting down into a more comfortable position, Orpheus rested his chin on his bent knee. His shoe, caked with snow, left a wet imprint on the edge of the fountain. There was a few moment’s pause before he began. “I know you work at a coffee shop for starters.”

Eurydice leaned back on arms. One of her feet lay on the frozen water of the fountain. “That’s a no-brainer.”

“You also don’t like school and. . . you sing.” He finished off the sentence almost hesitantly, as if he were waiting for a confirmation. Even though they had skimmed over the subject in passing, she was glad that he remembered.

“In high school, yeah. The whole songbird thing.” Quirking her head the slightest bit, Eurydice added, “Anything else?”

He shrugged. “Don’t think so.”

“Alright then,” She said, casting a glance across the vacant park. To her, this seemed to be one of the stupidest ideas she had ever come up with. What where they doing? Speed dating? Instead of dwelling on thoughts of doubt, Eurydice plowed forwards and asked, “I guess you go first. Tell me about yourself, Orpheus. Where did you grow up?”

He grinned that stupid grin of his and she couldn’t help but melt a little bit. His eyes just seemed to light up at the most mundane of tasks. “Well, I grew up in Kentucky, down near Augusta if you know where that is.”

“So you’re a farm boy,” She laughed.

“Now that you mention it, I guess. Augusta’s a really small town, with about a thousand people. Everyone knew anyone, which was a good thing and a bad thing, I guess. Growing up I didn’t have. . . much, but we got along pretty well.” 

Orpheus deafly plucked a brittle rose from the snow-dusted bush by his side as he spoke, twirling it between his fingers. The petals were in full bloom, blood red and contrasting against the gray tones of the earth. Running his fingers along the thorns gently, he continued, “I was the youngest in my family by about five years, but I was close with my siblings. We used to all go down to the Ohio River and play for hours in the summer. It was. . . some of the best years of my life, wandering around with Linus and Grace.” 

A faint smile made its way to his face as he said this, no doubt remembering his early childhood. “This one time we built a tree house. Badly, though, ‘cause we were all under twelve. The moment- I’m pretty sure it was Grace- stepped in, the entire thing collapsed because we didn’t hammer in the nails enough.”

She let out a short laugh. “Funny how kids do that, huh?” That wasn’t exactly saying much, seeing as they were both under twenty-one. 

“Yeah,” Orpheus replied. He shifted in his position again and bit his lip. “A few years later my mom. . . got sick. She didn’t get better.”

Eurydice tore her gaze away from the flower in his hand. “I’m sorry,” She murmured quietly.

“Yeah,” He said, voice barely above a whisper. “Me too.” There was a short pause as his story began to pick up speed again, albeit a bit rushed. “The girls went and lived with their dad and I’m pretty sure Linus lives with his dad and step-mom now. I went here with Hermes. Been here ever since.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

The girl sighed. “That means it’s my turn now, doesn’t it?”

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” 

“No, it’s only fair.” Eurydice looked up at the cloudy sky, trying to figure out where to start. When Orpheus had told her of where he had grown up it had seemed so easy. It had just. . . flowed. “I was born and raised here for starters. On the other side of the city.” She remembered the busy apartments, the dark streets. The corner lamps that never seemed to light up the area enough to feel safe.

“As a kid I. . . got into trouble. Kept running away from my foster parents, so I got moved around a lot. I also skipped school quite a bit over the years, so I had a reputation as a ‘troubled kid’.” She put an emphasis to her words. “It’s not like I did anything bad, though. Still got pretty good grades on tests without studying or doing the homework. . .”

Her gaze focused to the blood red flower that Orpheus held on the edge of his fingertips delicately as she got lost in thoughts. Eurydice remembered how she had almost ran to school one day when one of her foster parents had made her take care of the younger kids before leaving. Another time she had she’d been caught ditching and was slapped across the face. 

Eurydice brought her hand up to her cheek as if she could still feel the sting. “Some of the homes I stayed at where better than others, but that’s just life. The moment I turned eighteen I moved out and got my own place.” Brushing her bangs from her eyes (and taking note that she needed to get a haircut) Eurydice swung her legs against the edge of the fountain. They hit the stone and bounced off with a thud rhythmically. Left, right, left, right, left right. The contact with the hard concrete made her heels ache, but it was the good type. The type that gave you subtle reminders that you really where here.

“I got my own place then too. Hermes was a bit hesitant, but I convinced him after a while.”

“Why didn’t he want you to move out?”

Orpheus shrugged. “Guess he didn’t like change.”

“Let’s be honest: do any of us?” She said, gesturing widely to the city around her.

The two of them chuckled. In a way, she was right.

“I’m really glad we met,” Orpheus murmured, eyes dancing from one flake of falling snow to another. His hands where on the edge of the fountain, bare hands touching the cold edge.

A strange urge overcame Eurydice. She wanted to reach over and grab his hand, to feel its warmth against her skin. The very thought brought a blush to her cheeks, one that she tried to hide with the dark collar of her jacket. “Yeah,” She replied, tucking her hand under her leg in an attempt ward off the feeling. “If it wasn’t for the road work and your heater breaking. . .” Then he’d just be another face in the crowd. Another life in the big city. A stranger.

“You know, you’re my first. . . real friend I guess,” Orpheus said, voice hesitant. “I had trouble getting to know people as a kid, but you make it seem so easy.” He chuckled and looked at the rose in his hands, its dull thorns and its lush petals. After a moment of contemplation, he reached out and, slowly, tucked it behind Eurydice’s ear. 

Without knowing it, she leaned into his touch before he pulled away. As if in a trance, she gently brushed the edges of the flower with her fingertips. A leaf brushed her cheek gently. 

He must have noticed this too, because the next second he said, “Sorry I shouldn’t have- I mean, I wasn’t trying to-“

“I like it,” Eurydice interrupted, shutting off his nervous rambles. “Thank you.” Despite the winter chill, the warm feeling was back in the pit of her stomach. Like hot coals still glowing long after the fire was lit. 

She tried to catch his eye and smile but he looked away the moment their eyes met. Eurydice told herself that he was probably still embarrassed by the flower.

“So how’s working at the bar going?” She asked, half to break the silence and half because she was generally interested. She hadn’t been back there since last week.

“It’s not bad, since we get more customers in the winter,” Orpheus said, his tone light. “Persephone’s away in Virginia to visit her husband for another week so I’m the only performer at the moment. Hades is. . . a character, I’ll tell you that.”

“Hades?” She asked.

“Persephone’s husband. Owns a big mining company down south. The two of them have a. . . seasonal relationship. On and off. I think they really do love each other, though. Even if they’ve forgotten it.”

“I take it you’ve met Hades then?” Eurydice’s fingers fluttered over the blood red rose behind her ear absentmindedly as he spoke.

“Only once, when the bar first opened. I was nine I think, still new to the city and the crowds. Hades just walked up to me and began talking, which was kind of unnerving at first. Called me “Hermes’ boy” more than once, I remember that.” There was a fondness to his voice at the mention of Hermes.

“He doesn’t seem _that_ bad,” She laughed. The thought of a young Orpheus made her smile. She wondered if he had had the same choppy brown hair, the same meek look or shy grin.

“Hades has this. . . serious look to him. It just freaked me out because that was when-” He cut his sentence short abruptly.

She looked up, a questioning look no doubt on her face. “When what?”

Orpheus shook his head and waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Nevermind. It’s not important.”

The two of them continued their conversation, mostly steering clear of whatever had made him change the subject. They laughed, they chatted, they smiled. It was. . . pleasant, to say the least. Eurydice adored the way Orpheus’s face would light up when she mentioned anything about music. He had a strong passion for it, that much was true. So, it came to no surprise when he asked her, “Do you still sing?”

“Not since high school. I’m probably a bit rusty,” She admitted almost regretfully. The performing life always intrigued her, but Eurydice had neither the money nor the time to get a steady career going. She was always up and about, jumping from one job to another all while doing her best to stay frugal.

“Oh,” Orpheus said. “Cause I know that Persephone’s looking for a few more performers. If you’re interested, that is.”

“That. . . That would be great, actually,” She replied, blinking rapidly. “I’d love to.”

“Great. I’ll text you Persephone’s number so you can call her when she gets back.” He checked time on his phone and stood up. “I should get going. I have to set up the bar for tonight. See you later?” 

Eurydice smiled, standing up and dusting off her pants as well. A good amount of snow had covered her black jeans. “Yeah. See you later.”

They stood there awkwardly for a moment before she turned on her heel and walked off, the flower behind here ear contrasting with the white snow beneath her. Orpheus would later mention that she had looked like an angel that day, standing out against the dull grays of the city.

\---

The next few days were a breeze for Eurydice. She went to the bar almost every day to watch Orpheus play (as well as befriend Persephone, who, after coming back from her trip, was quite pleasant under her seemingly rough exterior). As usual, Hermes let her go in without her having to show her ID. She had no idea why he was doing so, but the clever spark in his eyes made her think that nobody else knew of this.

She started sitting in the back of the bar like the first time, but as she and Orpheus got to know each other more she began to get closer and closer to the stage. He would sometimes walk her home after, too. This was Eurydice’s favorite part of the day, when it was only the two of them and they could talk of anything and everything. For the most part, everything was perfect. Everything worked out well, and, as the two of them began to hang out more and more often, she suspected that they were maybe beginning to be something more than friends. 

This very thought had come all of a sudden while she was getting out of the shower one Wednesday night. Hot steam wafted in and steamed up the mirror as Eurydice brushed her dripping hair, musing over the events of the day. It had been different than usual, with Orpheus abruptly leaving after he finished playing. She knew it was probably because he was busy, but walking home alone that night gave her an unsettling feeling. Not for herself per say, but for him.

For the most part, she was able to bury these thoughts in the back of her mind. It was easy for Eurydice to lose herself in the work of getting ready for bed, as her mind was on autopilot this late in the day. Everything was going smoothly. 

That is, until she got the phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for all the comments and kudos for this story; it really makes my day. I like to read the new comments before writing a chapter for a boost of confidence. :)
> 
> Can you do me a favor? If you so please, give a short (or long) comment about headcanons that might be useful for future chapters (or canon stories because I'm thinking of writing a few more of those) because this story wouldn't be possible without ya'll. I really love your feedback and thoughts on this fic, and I hope for this to be a completed work some day. Thank you for sticking around and bearing with me since I'm the world's slowest writer. It means a lot. <3
> 
> Scream with me on discord: irreplaceable-ecstacy#1037
> 
> ((alright I'll shut up now))


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SAW!!! THE SHOW!! LAST WEEK!!!!! (Rant at the end of the chapter)
> 
> Might I just add that,,,, this chapter was honestly a struggle to write (idk why maybe I'm just bad at emotions) so just,, bare with me I guess??? Sorry if it sucks.
> 
> ALSO: I'm thinking about writing a  
> -Persephone/Hades one-shot au  
> -New Years one-shot with Orpheus/Eurydice au because I'm not ready for 2020 but really liked a prompt I found

Looking back, Eurydice would say that her first mistake was not bothering to answer the damned call the first time she got it. Like always, she dismissed it as a telemarketer or some other sorts- this wouldn’t be the first time something like this had happened. Casting a sideways glance at her downturned phone, she continued to put away the rest of the dishes in the dishwasher, trying to be quiet about the job. Just last week her neighbor had complained about the noise from surrounding rooms, and she couldn’t afford to get kicked out because of a stupid dishwasher.

She waited for the phone to stop ringing and, once it did, she padded over to her bedroom fully aware that tonight would be one of _those_ nights. One of those nights that she wouldn’t be able to sleep despite the heaviness of her eyes or the exhaustion in her bones. One of those nights where she would lay awake for hours, unable to catch sleep for long. Figuring there was no use in changing the matter at fact, Eurydice put her phone on her side table to charge, already haven forgotten about the call that was probably a telemarketer. That was her second mistake.

Her third, and possibly worst mistake, was not bothering to check who was calling. Instead she switched her ringer on silent and climbed into bed.

And thus began the long night. Eurydice, in the vain hope of trying to find sleep, tossed and turned under her covers trying to find the right position to fall asleep. Unsurprisingly, her attempts where fruitless. Her window was shut, her front door locked, and her curtains drawn but despite this, she couldn’t help but think that something was wrong. Every few minutes her phone screen would light up from its place on the table. It seemed that the dammed thing would go off the moment she began to drift off.

After what felt like hours, Eurydice rolled over and begrudgingly turned on her phone. The screen brightly told the time and she squinted, eyes adjusting. Eleven twenty-eight. Lazily, her blurry gaze drifted from the clock to her notifications. The moment she read it, Eurydice felt wide awake.

_Three missed calls: Persephone_

Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Why would Persephone of all people be calling her? They didn’t know each other well enough to be friends, and there was a sizable age gab between them that made hanging out seem odd. In fact, they didn’t exactly have much in common, what with only knowing each other through Orpheus. 

Picking a few choice words to say under her breath, Eurydice redialed her number. “This better be good for waking me up,” she murmured (mostly to herself) as the phone rang. It sounded too loud to her sleep-addled mind.

Persephone picked up on the second ring and didn’t skip a beat saying, “I need you to check on Orpheus.”

Eurydice blinked dumbly. “Why? What happened?” It took a sizable amount of control to keep her voice steady despite the panic rising to her throat. The tone Persephone had used. . . it had a sharpness to it. A sharpness with worried laced in. She shifted into a sitting position and turned on her bedside lamp. The harsh light left spots in her vision.

The woman sighed on the other end. “He got some . . . news and hasn’t answer mine or Hermes’s calls since the show tonight.”

“News?” Was all that Eurydice could say. Her brain, much to her annoyance, was moving sluggishly and she faltered to grasp what Persephone was saying.

“Hermes wouldn’t tell. But he’s worried. Even if he says he isn’t.”

“Persephone, what happened?” There was a pause, and she could almost see the older woman pursing her lips.

“Just- please go check up on him. I’m caught up with things and on the other side of the city. You’re not.”

Eurydice was about to contradict (and ask how on Earth Persephone knew where she lived), but she snapped her mouth shut. “I’ll be there in ten.”

\--

Her shoes clicked against the wet walkway of the city, echoing in the darkness beyond. The snow had slowed to a soft drizzle of slush, quite a relief compared to the earlier week’s weather of sleet and downpour. Eurydice was walking briskly, not bothering to stop and catch her breath. The thought of calling a taxi had crossed her mind but she hadn’t brought any cash in her mad rush to get dressed and ready. She was clad in old jeans and an older hoodie, her hair hurriedly tied back in a half bun half ponytail. 

The cold air felt sharp against her throat as it escaped her lips in a gentle puff. Taking a moment to burrow her freezing hands into her sweatshirt pocket, Eurydice tried to recall what Persephone had said all while continuing her pace.

The woman had texted her Orpheus’s apartment address (despite the fact that she already knew it) and had instructed her to ring him up at the door. Third floor, room seven. It shouldn’t have been that hard.

Except that it was.

The walk was roughly fifteen minutes, but it felt like much longer. Eurydice was checking her phone every few seconds in hope that Orpheus or Persephone had texted. No such luck. 

Everything seemed different during the night. The shadows got longer, the people shadier. Even store fronts seemed to meld and twist into something unfamiliar, like a dream that felt too closed to reality. More than once she worried that she was lost or had taken a wrong turn due to the eerie surroundings. Funny how, after living in Chicago for her entire life, it still didn’t feel like home.

Eurydice’s pace quickened as she passed the familiar brick wall where she had found Orpheus playing in the cold only but a month ago. Not leaving any time to think about their meeting, she pressed onwards to the matter at hand.

Orpheus’s apartment building looked old if the dirty brick base or the ivy stained wall had anything to say about it. At least, older than hers. With its grimy fire escape and its leafy sidewalk, she couldn’t help but get a feeling of curiosity. Eurydice didn’t exactly know where the feeling came from, but it was there, appearing like a ghost in the night. The metal handle of the door was ice cold against her palm and sent shivers down her spine. Pulling back to pull the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her bare hands, she tried it. Locked.

Eurydice leaned backwards and sighed. So much for the easy way in. Letting out a groan of irritability, she fought the urge to throw her hands up. What else could she do to get in? Lock picking was out of the question, and it wasn’t like she had anything to do it with. Her eye caught a metal plate on the other side of the entrance. A calling panel. Of course.

Using her phone light to read the names off the call panel, she searched for Orpheus’s. It took a moment but there, written in a somewhat tidy scrawl, was his first name. His last name was illegible. The ink, unlike the sun faded ones around it, was still dark and bold. After all, he had only lived there for about a year.

“Gotcha,” she murmured to herself, a somewhat wicked grin lighting her features despite her internal mood. 

It had felt like an eternity, waiting in the cold rain with her finger pressed against the plastic button. He answered on the fourth ring (not that she was counting). 

“Hello?”

For a second, Eurydice didn’t know what to say. “Orpheus. Hi. It’s Eurydice.” She winced to herself at the high tone of her voice.

There was a pause. “What are you doing here?” It wasn’t an accusation, but more of a statement. Blunt and to the point.

“Look,” She started softly, leaning her forehead against the cold metal of the panel to gather her thoughts. “I’ll explain inside. Can you let me in?” Each one of her breaths ghosted in front of her face as if it were dancing away.

“Yeah. Just give me a moment.” Eurydice breathed a sigh of relief, bouncing on the balls of her feet. For a second, she hadn’t thought that he’d let her in. The way he had hesitated. . . She thought back to Persephone’s words: _I’ve got a feeling he’s gonna need you._ It was at that moment when she realized how much she’d do for Orpheus. Straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders, she waited for the buzz of the door to let her in.

The apartment lobby was small with a dated interior, much like her own building’s. Brass lights hung from the ceiling in a bell shape, reminding Eurydice of the lights at Three Fates, albeit older and not as maintained. 

On her way up the stairwell she noticed a heavily-adorned corkboard covered in various ads and news. A few caught her eye, including a vibrant green one advertising Demeter’s Flower Shop & Garden. She chuckled to herself at the sight of it. The poster reminded her of Persephone and her dress she wore at the bar. Even the poppy red lettering gave off the same cues. 

By the time she was on the third floor, Eurydice was slightly short of breath. She was pulling at the hem of her shirt with nerves as she counted out the doors until she found Orpheus’s. The apartment seemed odd at night, with its dark halls and darker carpets. Like it belonged in a strange new dimension, away from the bar and the street corner where she had first met Orpheus. Away from the known.

Up until this moment, Eurydice felt confident. But it wasn’t until she stood with her fisted hand over the door ready to knock that she doubted herself. She knew that something was up. She knew that now was the time to help her friend. But what if it was all too much for her? Never in her entire life had Eurydice had to care about anyone besides herself. Growing up, she was the top priority on her list. Don’t stay out late, only walk in well-lit areas, save your own neck if you had to. Those where all things that came first to her. But now. . . Now she had Orpheus in her life.

And she really didn’t know what to do.

What if she did something or said something wrong and somehow made the bad thing worse? What if he got mad at her for trying to help? What if this broke their 

_(relationship)_

friendship?

Eurydice shook her head and tugged at one of her many bracelets. This was for Orpheus. Not her. _Orpheus_. She would do everything she could to help him. Everything.

Taking a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles against the door. Sharp. Precise. Reassuring.

From the other side of the door she could hear the shuffling of feet and the lock turning. Before she knew it, Orpheus was standing before her, still clad in his street clothes, hair bedraggled, and eyes tired. The joyous spark that was there when he played no longer stood out. He didn’t meet her eyes.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” She replied, the familiar sense of worry settling in the pit of her stomach once more. He looked tired. One might even go as far as saying downtrodden. “Can I come in?”

Instead of answering, he moved out of the way and led her to a little green couch against a wall. Orpheus’s apartment was small; a dingy studio that showed he wasn’t getting payed much for his job at the bar. Still, it had its pleasantries. A bookshelf stood beside one wall, and a series of books about music theory and songwriting lay discarded on the coffee table. 

Two guitars where against the bookshelf, one the familiar brown one he brought around with him and another, one with one end shorter and black edged. Eurydice didn’t have any idea what type of guitar it was, but it still brought the ghost of a smile to her face. 

Despite the general appearance of the apartment, it still had a certain neatness to it. Like Orpheus and Orpheus alone knew exactly where everything was.

She was perched sideways on the edge of the couch, glancing at Orpheus every few seconds from where he was across from her. “Persephone called me,” Eurydice started. “Said you were ignoring her and Hermes.”

He shrugged.

With a sigh, she tried a different tactic. She never was good at the whole emotion thing. “What happened?”

There was a lengthy pause. Finally, “I got a phone call earlier today. From my dad,” Orpheus murmured.

“Your dad?” This time it was Eurydice’s turn to pause. Didn’t he say that he never knew his father? That he had left before he was born? Their last long conversation was a bit of a blur. She tried to picture a man with Orpheus’s delicate features and his shy smile. Somehow, she couldn’t.

“Yeah,” he said, swallowing back tears. “After sixteen years he finally decided to get back on touch.” Any other person would have a bitter tone. Not him.

“What did he say?”

“Said he wanted to meet up with me for lunch tomorrow. To talk about what’s new and catch up,” Orpheus replied with a heaviness in his voice.

“Well that’s good, isn’t it? Maybe he feels bad for. . . leaving.” Eurydice knew she was taking a shot in the dark the moment the words slipped from her mouth like silk. 

His gaze focused on a coffee cup on the table, unblinking, unseeing. “No. Hermes would have told me so.”

“He knew?” For some reason, this shocked Eurydice. Why would Hermes, the kind and truthful man he was, not tell Orpheus about what was going on with his father?

“He knew. He knew that my dad was trying to contact me. Back when- Back when Hermes got custody of me my dad tried to find me before we moved here. But he never told me until I got the call after work. He knew, Eurydice. Hermes knew and never thought to tell me.” Orpheus said in a broken voice, hurriedly wiping away a tear. His beautify hazel eyes held burnt out fires within them. Nothing left but ashes and smoke. Her heart ached for him.

“Oh, Orpheus,” Eurydice murmured. She wanted to reach out and hug him, to comfort him in some way shape or form. Instead, she remained in her spot, unsure of what to do. Should she hug him? Stay and listen? Say something? Before she could decide on what exactly to do, he spoke up again.

“I barely even remember him,” Orpheus managed to say. “Left a month before I turned four.” Without looking up, he hugged himself tightly, leaning into himself ever so slightly. Orpheus pulled at the fabric of his raggedy shirt as if it might bring some comfort to him. The boy’s choppy hair was falling in front of his face but it wasn’t like he cared. It wasn’t like he was looking at her.

“I’m sorry Orpheus, I’m so sorry,” She said, really, truly meaning it.

“He left because of me,” He said almost bitterly, aggressively wiping a tear away with the sleeve of his shirt. The words had escaped his mouth in a whirl, like it had been meaning to be said for a while now. Like it had been weighing him down this entire time.

Eurydice’s head snapped up, her voice suddenly stern, eyes steely. How could he ever think that? Orpheus was just Orpheus, sweet and gentle and kind. “Don’t say that. You were a kid. It’s not your fault.”

“No you don’t understand,” He replied, wrapping his arms around himself once more. His grip was desperate, almost unnervingly so. There was something in the way he did it that made her notice that something wasn’t right. People didn’t do that normally. “I’m not- I’m not right, okay? He left because of the way I am.”

Eurydice had heard stories in previous foster homes about parents who had abandoned their kids. Whether it was because the child had problems or wasn’t a ‘dream kid’, they had left them to the care of the state. They had left because they were scared of the different. At least, in Orpheus’s case, he had had his mother. And his siblings.

His hands where moving restlessly over each other and his hitched breath seemed to fill the room. Eurydice hesitantly reached out and slowly put her hands over his, squeezed them gently.

“You don’t owe him anything.”

“I didn’t want to ever tell you,” Orpheus said quietly. “The way people see me when they know- like I’m broken or something. When Hermes adopted me, people always smiled at him and said, ‘You’re so kind, caring for a boy like him’. I didn’t understand at first. I was what, eight? Nine? My siblings never treated me any differently, and neither did my mom. Sure, I was the youngest, but that’s just how I thought it was.” His voice was broken, ragged. Like he had already been defeated. 

Eurydice’s gaze fell over his frame as he spoke. Orpheus’s hunched shoulders, tense arms. She didn’t know what exactly she was thinking. Just that her friend was in pain, and she needed to do something about it.

Instead of replying, Eurydice leaned forwards on the couch and engulfed him in a hug. He tensed momentarily before burying his head in her shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around her. The boy clung to her like she was his lifeline, leaning into her and pressing his head into her shoulder. Maybe that’s what they were to each other: two discarded pieces drifting aimlessly across the vast ocean, both trying to find their own way and still stay together.

“Orpheus, look at me.” For a brief, fleeting second, he met her eyes. Those damn hazel eyes. Eurydice could look at them for hours. Cupping his cheek gently, she brushed away a tear with her thumb. It was at that moment that she saw Orpheus for who he really was: a poor boy- barely and adult- who was trying to find his place in the world like everyone else. He had his concerns, his doubts, his fears. But he also had her now. And hopefully that would be enough. “I never will, and never could, see you as anyone different than the first day we met. You’re just you. You with your guitar and your late night walks. You with your money jar on the side of the road. You with your big heart and your stupid coffee. And you know what? That’s enough.”

Eurydice thought back to her entire childhood when she had dreamed of meeting her parents, wondering what they’d be like or how they would act. It wasn’t until she was around ten that she realized they had probably been outcasts, druggies of some sort who couldn’t care for someone like her. Both she and Orpheus knew that was how the world worked.

“Tomorrow- if you decide to meet up with him- I’ll go with you,” She said, hugged him tightly. “I’ll go with you.”

They held each other for God knows how long. Eurydice didn’t care that it was late at night and she had work early tomorrow morning. She didn’t care that they both had problems to face with the dawn of the next day, or that there where greater troubles that lay ahead. She didn’t care that she was sitting in his apartment late at night. All that mattered was that she was with Orpheus.

Eurydice moved to brush her bangs from her eyes but stopped short halfway across her face.

For the first time in years, she was crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey here's a random af fact about me trying to write this:  
> -Apartment floor 3 for the number of Epics and room 7 because that's how many la's there are in it.  
> -Also, in case it wasn't clear, Orpheus had autism (though I didn't specify in the story), thus the reason why his father (Apollo) left.
> 
> Also, as you prob read in the above notes, I SAW THE SHOW!!!! My sister and I got tickets for our 16th birthday and I cried when I saw them. That's right folks, my sad Californian ass went all the way to New York last weekend to see Come From Away and Hadestown. (I also have to add that I went to Chicago (where this story takes place) for a solid 30 minutes while running around the airport like headless chickens to get to our flight on time.)  
> New York was fucking fantastic. Literally half the trip was me and my sister quoting Newsies.
> 
> We watched Come From Away and let me just say that it was AMAZING. I've been following that show for about a year and, only having listened to the soundtrack, it was mind blowing to watch it on stage. Jenn Colella was just ahhhhhh. After that we wandered around, got Schmackarys, and slept off some of the jetlag. Then the fateful time arrived. Hadestown: eight o'clock. 
> 
> The entire walk there I was beaming and trying not to rant about how excited I was. (ALSO I PASSED BY JOHN KRAUSE ON THE STREET AND ALMOST LOST IT) My mom knew nothing about the show and my sister had only listened to the soundtrack and wasn't emotionally invested like I was. As soon as we walked into the theatre I was starstruck. The sTaGe was so close and I was honestly really surprised at how small the theatre was. The Curran Theatre where I watched DEH Tour had 1,600 seats whereas the Walter Kerr only had like 975. 
> 
> Here's some things worth mentioning from the show:  
> -Andre just sauntered on the stage and patted Eva's cheek and it was perfect.  
> -Reeve's voice was sorta strained because it was the last show of the week but he was still FANTASTIC and ohmygod I love Orpheus so much  
> -During Way Down Hadestown Eva pulled Reeve in by his suspenders and it was the sweetest thing ever  
> -THE FLOWER! I had no idea that during the "How'd you do that?" "I dunno." in Wedding Song Reeve just whips out a flower from NOWHERE and gives it to Eva (It also happened in Epic III with Hades and I sorta just melted at the cuteness)  
> -The stage opened up during Wait For Me and wowo I really didn't expect it to but was not disappointed  
> -There where two girls sitting behind me fangirling just as much as I was so yasss  
> -If It's True was really good  
> -Jessie Shelton was one of the fates and it was great because I've seen her in Waitress Tour and her voice was really good  
> -Why We Build The Wall got me sh00k by how powerful the ensemble sounding. Seriously. Their voices filled the theatre.  
> -Amber sounded SO DRUNK in Our Lady of the Underground it was perfect.  
> -Eva's voice when she belted for the gods ahhhhhhhh. It was better than the cast recording.  
> -Did I mention that I love the Worker's Chorus??  
> -Eva sticking out her tongue during Livin' It Up on Top was honestly great. Also just the dancing in general. Perfect.  
> -Doubt Comes In pulled at my heartstrings and wow it was just really good with The Fates and the darkness and the la la las.
> 
> After the show I pretty much sprinted to the stage door because I had some fanarts to give out.  
> -Timothy is really tall. That's it. That's all I gotta say.
> 
> So I had spent a few days making fanarts I deemed worthy to give to the cast. I only had five though because of time, ones for Reeve, Eva, Patrick, Amber, and The Fates.
> 
> -I gave Kay the fates fanart because she was the first one out and it was great.  
> -Patrick and Amber didn't come out to the stage door so I gave their arts to one of the Security Peoples and hopefully they have it by now.  
> -I had made fan arts for the Workers Chorus at the airport but I really wasn't a fan of how they looked so I made the executive decision of not handing them out. Now tho, regret it because they really weren't that bad.  
> -I waited an HOUR for Reeve and Eva to come out to the stage door because there was a fundraising thing and backstage tours going on. I was about to leave but then I saw the door open.  
> -Eva was first and was SO SWEET. I gave her my fanart and she got really excited it honestly made my day. I got a pic and she wished me and my sister happy birthday and ahhhhhh.  
> -By the time Reeve came out it was about midnight so everyone was tired. I got a picture and gave out my last fan art and it was just fantastic.
> 
> Okay that's all I had to say sorry if that was really long.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Hello. Wassup.  
> Let me explain. Okay so this chapter was supposed to be the one with Apollo, but as I wrote it I realized how long it was. I was at 3,600 words and they hadn't even talked to him yet. So I made the executive decision to end the chapter where it ended and continue the meeting segment of the story onto the next one.
> 
> Also I couldn't help myself but give Chris Sullivan's Hermes a cameo in this chapter.

It was the downfall of rain splattering against the window that woke Eurydice up. A low pitter-patter that echoed like tiny drums, or perhaps a distant horse trotting. If she strained her ears it sounded a bit like the footfalls of someone running. She laid where she was (actually quite warm) simply listening to the sound of falling rain. _Pitter patter, pitter patter, clink, clink, clink._ Not long after she cracked open her eyes to see an unfamiliar room before her.

A coffee table with an empty mug and various books stacked on one end was level with her face. Eurydice blinked rapidly at the large object close to her, willing her eyes to adjust. In front of it stood a kitchen, a solitary light illuminating the ghostly shapes of the counter and its accessories. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why wasn’t she in her own bed?

Shifting in her position, Eurydice foggily recalled the past events with growing discomfort. The phone call. Orpheus. His father. Floor 3 room 7. Orpheus.

The boy was at her side, the two of them somehow managing to fit on the small couch against the wall. He had fallen asleep. So had she. The girl searched his face, quickly noticing how calm he looked. The sharp edges of his face seemed to melt away in this new state. For the first time that night his breathing was steady, calm, relaxed. Peaceful.

The neon lights from the microwave door caught her eye and she almost groaned at the time. Two eighteen. Only an hour and a half had passed since their late night conversation, since Orpheus’s tearful confession. Eurydice closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing away thoughts of anxiety and worry. Everything would be fine, she told herself. Right?

A heaviness settled into her limbs as she thought. Not of particular things, per say, but just. . . ideas. Questions that where left unattended. Statements that needed to be said. Discussions that withered to an end.

But most of all, she thought of Orpheus and how he was handling this situation. She knew that if it where herself instead of him, she would be a mess. Eurydice didn’t even think she would be able to handle the sudden appearance of one of her parents after they had left her like trash on the street. In Orpheus’s case, however, it seemed much worse.

His father had left because of the way that he was, because of some reason that couldn’t be controlled. His father had interacted with Orpheus and still chose to leave the moment times got harder. Like a fair-weather friend. Eurydice had plenty experience with those types of people.

She lay on the couch until her vision blurred from staring at the neon lights of the microwave. Five minutes passed. Ten. Twenty. Forty-five. She got to about an hour and fifteen minutes of thinking before she decided she had to move. Quietly, as not to wake Orpheus, she slipped off of the couch.

It was definitely weird, standing in a strange apartment in the middle of the night. Light from the city bled through the window pane, illuminating a patch of carpet nearby. Eurydice walked to it softly, fingers trailing the edges of the couch and the table gently as she went.

Sitting cross-legged in the patch of moonlight, she stared out the uncurtained window in a sense of awe. So much had happened today. Only six hours ago she had been at the bar watching Persephone and Orpheus sing lively songs and, well, now she was here.

Cold seemed to seep from the glass and envelope her. Eurydice no longer felt safe and collected, no, she felt unguarded and open. She was scared, scared for Orpheus, scared of what would happen tomorrow, scared for their friendship. She was scared of the unknown. 

Eurydice took a deep breath to calm her accelerating heartbeat. Looking out the window, she focused on the upsides of the situation. Orpheus would have someone there for him. That someone being her. Eurydice’s gaze flickered to the windows of the adjacent apartment. There where so many people, so many lives, all fitting together seamlessly into the world. 

A part of her wondered what she would be doing if she didn’t know Orpheus. Probably lying in bed, wide awake and unable to sleep, she thought with a huff. She mindlessly dragged her hand back and forth on the carpet, liking the way the material moved against her fingertips. There wasn’t much else to do now, was there?

With a sigh, Eurydice pulled herself up off of the ground and moved to turn off the kitchen light. A soft click sounded once it had been done. Once the light was out, the room was lit entirely by the outside world. Light bled into the small apartment from various advertisement and office building. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried the outside world always came into the personal one.

It wasn’t until she walked back to the couch that she realized her shoes where still on. In the mad rush that had been only a few hours ago she hadn’t even bothered to take them off when she arrived. Luckily, they weren’t too dusty or grimy to put marks on the floor. Eurydice ditched them by the front door, not bothering to take off her socks.

A pile of folded blankets stood not too far away from where she was. One was a deep black (or blue, for she couldn’t tell in the darkness) and the other a crimson red. It wouldn’t help for some comfort, would it? Sure, it felt wrong to use things that didn’t belong to her, but she didn’t think that Orpheus would mind much.

Eurydice placed the red on the arm of the couch and gently draped the black one on top of Orpheus. Even in his sleep her leaned into her touch. She fought the urge to push his bangs from his face.

Her eyelids grew heavy as she curled up at the foot of the couch. A part of her had wanted to move back next to Orpheus, but she didn’t want to be seen as invasive or clingy. She decided that the floor would do just fine. After all, she had slept in worse places.

With the red blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon, Eurydice shifted many positions before finally settling with her face close to the coffee table’s leg. It blocked her view of the clock but the last two numbers read :41. Tired but not yet satisfied, she drifted to sleep once more.

\--

The second time Eurydice awoke, it was because of her phone vibrating in her back pocket. Still half asleep, she awkwardly sat up but somehow managing to hit her head on the table above her. She let out a sound that was something between a scoff and a sigh as she retrieved her phone from behind her, already more than awake.

Eurydice rubbed what was probably already a bruise her head, annoyed. The overhanging bit of table had hit her square on the forehead, right near the roots of her hair. After a few choice words were said she checked her phone.

It was Persephone again, asking what exactly had happened. Her fingers stood poised above the keyboard. What exactly could she say? Eurydice didn’t know how much Persephone knew about this whole situation, so she wrote, _We’re working things out._ She was painfully obvious of how vague it sounded but decided not to think much of the matter. If Orpheus had wanted to tell her than he would have and will.

She fell back onto the ground (purposefully avoiding the table) and turned her head to the edge of the couch where Orpheus was supposedly sleeping. From her angle on the floor all she could see was the black blanket hanging off the edge.

“Orpheus?” The couch was empty, pillow misshapen, and blanket awry. Eurydice pulled herself into a kneeling position to look around. Where was he? The apartment wasn’t exactly big, and the boy was nowhere in sight.

The bathroom door in between the kitchen and living room (which she hadn’t noticed before) opened and out stepped Orpheus. Well, more like shuffled. He looked exhausted, what with his bedraggled hair, tired eyes, rumpled clothes. Drying his hands on his pants he smiled tiredly, softly saying, “You’re up.”

Eurydice scoffed. “And you’re a mess.”

“Yeah,” He murmured, falling onto the couch. She sat up and turned to face him.

“You holdin’ up alright?”

“I guess.” Orpheus looked down at his hands. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”

She laughed, though it only had a tinge of humor in it. “You’re stuck with me. That’s it.”

He shook his head, the choppy fringe of his bangs falling into his face. “That’s not what I mean. Why are you doing this? It won’t help you in any way. Just make your life more complicated.”

Eurydice paused. “Because you’re my friend, Orpheus. God- probably one of the only ones that I regularly keep in touch with now. The point is, I’m doing this because I care about you, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now,” she stood up and dusted off her pants, extending a hand to Orpheus. “It’s almost ten o’clock. We should get ready for lunch. Do you know where and when we should be there?”

“Twelve at Ambrosia’s Diner.”

Eurydice nodded and googled the location. It was about fifteen miles away- about a half hour drive give or take the level of traffic. She had passed by the quaint restaurant many a time while working at the old location of Three Fates. The diner was on the. . . better off side of the city, and she had never gone their due to its crowd and unaffordable prices. The choice of location meant that Orpheus’s dad (whom she hadn’t asked the name of) must be loaded. As in probably owns a yacht loaded. 

“Look, I need to swing back at my apartment to get ready and change out of this,” She looked down at her old sweatshirt and older jeans- hardly an outfit that would give a good first impression. “You okay with that? It’ll only be about an hour tops.”

“Yeah. Yeah, go ahead.” He offered a gentle smile and stood up as well.

She felt her arms move at her sides, the strange urge to hug him coming to mind. It wasn’t weird to hug a guy friend, that much she knew was true. People did it all the time. Plus, it would be for comfort. But she also wanted to put her hands in her hair and feel him against her and kiss him and- Eurydice jammed her hands into her pockets and went to tie her shoes. “Be back soon.”

The walk back to her apartment felt much longer than it had the other night. Streets where busier, roads more crowded, people louder. The serenity and peace that had managed to shine through the night before had dissipated into the blur of city life.

The one and only thing that Eurydice was grateful for during the long walk was the time to think. Instead of the hazy midnight thoughts from earlier, they were clear, decisive, and manageable. Though she didn’t know exactly how lunch would go, she decided that, if things didn’t work out well, they’d book it fast. 

The girl had no idea how Orpheus’s father would act. He had left, after all. But he also had decided to get back into touch. On the other hand, she had seen Orpheus’s reaction. He had been scared, worried, uncertain. Maybe, if that had been his first instinct, his father might not be that good of a person.

Eurydice shook her head to clear her thoughts. There really was no way of knowing anything, was there? She didn’t even know the man’s name.

While walking and balancing her phone under her arm, she pulled her hair out of the half ponytail that had nearly fallen out from sleeping. She winced as the fabric elastic pulled at her hair. It took some time, but Eurydice decided she looked a little bit more presentable to be walking on the street than before. At least, now she didn’t look homeless or anything with her old sweatshirt, messy hair, and scuffed shoes. 

She sent a short text to Afra and Tim, telling them to cover for her since she wouldn’t make it into work for the day and, if she did make it, it would probably be later than usual. She also muted the group chat so she wouldn’t be bothered with questions and hurried explanations. Throughout the year Eurydice hadn’t taken any days off, so hopefully they’d know it was important. Shoving her phone into her back pocket, she deemed that it was good enough.

The rest of the walk was a blur of thoughts and sights and feelings and worries. She didn’t remember much of what happened, simply knowing that she was getting from point A to point B in the most efficient way.

“Jesus Christ,” Eurydice muttered under her breath as she glanced at the clothes hanging limply in her closet. She had no idea what to wear. Ambrosia’s Diner was a high-end restaurant, but it was also a Thursday night- so far into the week that nobody cared how you dressed. She said some choice words under her breath before finally settling on canary yellow jeans and a white top twenty minutes later.

Looking herself up and down in the mirror, Eurydice quickly combed through her hair. She huffed. The ponytail from the night before had left a kink in her hair, one that was noticeable from every angle. She grudgingly tied her hair back up. Leaning forward to apply mascara she noticed the beginnings of a bruise. No doubt the product of hitting her forehead on the table back at Orpheus’s house. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to add a little but more makeup.

It was sort of funny how much she was stressing over how she looked. Eurydice didn’t consider herself fashionable since she was usually too broke to buy high-end clothes. She checked the time. Eleven ten. Shit.

She was supposed to be back at Orpheus’s place by now. The drive to the restaurant alone would take half an hour-

“Fuck.” 

Orpheus answered a few seconds after she dialed his number.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize what time it was and I’m running late,” Eurydice said, not giving the boy a chance to speak. She was practically running around her apartment trying to get everything together. Wallet, jacket, shoes. “Can you meet me there? I’ll text you the address.”

“I- yeah.”

“Great,” She replied automatically. “See you there.” 

The moment her phone was off she dragged a hand across her face and sighed. They were really cutting it close with this one. Two cab fares instead of one. . . why did this all have to be so hard?

Eurydice kicked her door shut as she walked out into the hallway, not bothering to worry about annoying the neighbors. A few shouts did make it through the thin walls but she ignored them like the many times before.

As per usual, stepping outside onto the snow-encrusted ground was like a slap to the face. She regretted not pausing a moment to make a coffee to go.

“Taxi!” Eurydice yelled, waving her hand franticly and nearly dropping her phone in the process. The closest one to her sped by. She yelled again, this time putting her phone into her pocket. To her luck a violently yellow cab parked before her.

She hustled to get into the warm car. It was clean in interior and had the smell of warm coffee.

“Where to miss?” The driver was a kind looking man with a brown jacket and a matching fedora. Why one earth he was wearing this, Eurydice did not know. Nobody wore hats like those these days.

“Ambrosia’s Diner.”

“Alright-y then,” The man replied, smoothly maneuvering the car back into the heavy traffic. “You know, my cousin used to work there.” A yellow flower hanging from his rear-view mirror swayed with the movement of the car delicately.

“Really?” Eurydice asked without much interest.

“Oh yeah, sister, way back when. Early seventies if I ain’t mistaken.”

She hummed in response. Her posture was closed- arms and legs crossed, head pointed to the ground. It was Eurydice’s second nature to maintain a defensive attitude to people she didn’t know. They could be anyone, after all. 

The driver must have noticed her because about ten minutes into the silent car drive, he raised an eyebrow and looked at her through the mirror with piercing yet kind eyes. They sort of reminded Eurydice of Hermes’ sharp gaze. 

“You doin’ alright there, sister?” He asked.

Startled, she hurriedly said, “Yeah. I’m doing alright.”

“You sure ‘bout that? You don’t look it.” He turned his attention back to the busy road. “Say, nobody’s givin’ you any trouble, are they?”

“No.” Not this time. “Just. . . stressed, I guess. One of my friends is. . . dealing with some stuff.”

“We’ve all been there, I can tell you that. Just take one step at a time, hm?”

“Sure.”

“Whatever your friend’s goin’ through you just gotta stick with ‘em no matter what. Life ain’t easy and it ain’t fair, but that’s just how it is. Sometimes you just gotta own up to it.”

“Yeah,” Eurydice murmured as she turned her gaze to the window. It was steamed up from the chilly air but she could still see the vague outline of the buildings and their neon signs. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

He cheerily winked at her through the mirror, eyes sparkling all the while. She couldn’t help but feel comforted by this cab driver. Like she immediately knew he was one to be trusted. Maybe it was his sparkling eyes or kind demeanor. Not many people in the city took the time to worry about others. Certainty not cab drivers, who were constantly jumping from one part of the city to another with no time to spare in between for small talk.

Eurydice checked the time frequently throughout the drive. Somehow, minutes felt like hours and seconds simultaneously. It was both an eternity and a breeze when the cab parked neatly along the curb a few yards from Ambrosia’s Diner.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, sister. If you ever need a ride again just call Olympian’s Cab and ask for Chris Sullivan. I’d be happy to help.”

“I’d tip you, but I don’t exactly have enough cash,” Eurydice said, handing over two tens and a five.

Chris looked over her shoulder and gestured to something. “That your friend?”

Indeed, it was. Orpheus was pacing by the door. He hadn’t seen her yet.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s him.”

“Listen,” Chris counted the money in his hand and gave back a ten. She didn’t take it. “You’re helping a friend, it’s the least I can do. Trust me, I already got enough.” He gestured for her to take it.

“I shouldn’t.”

“You need it more than I do. Go on.”

Eurydice bit her lip. “Alright.”

“Have a good rest of your day. Nice drivin’ you.” He leaned forwards and looked her in the eye. “Now go help your friend there.”

She looked down at the ten-dollar bill in her hand. Crumpled, dirty. Useful.

“Thank you,” Eurydice said, but the man was already gone, his cab blending into the others on the busy streets of Chicago.

She straightened her spine, fixed her hair, squared her shoulders. With only slight hesitation, she walked up to Orpheus. The boy was pacing to the left of the door where there weren’t any windows. Clad in a semi-formal outfit of jeans and an olive sweater, he walked back and forth tapping his fingers rhythmically on his leg. He didn’t even notice when she approached him.

“Orpheus?”

He looked up. “Oh. Hey. Sorry, I thought you had. . . decided not to come.”

Eurydice couldn’t help but wince and feel a little hurt. Orpheus had thought she’d ditched him. He’d thought that she’d have better things to do than stick with him. 

“No,” She said. “I’m here.” A pause. “I’m really sorry about the whole running late thing. I don’t have a clock in my apartment and just lost track of time without meaning to and-“

“You’re here now. That’s enough.”

Eurydice bit back another apology. “Why haven’t you gone in yet? It’s freezing out here.”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t. Just the thought of seeing him again after all this time and not knowing what to do- it was just too much.”

“Well. . . Now that I’m here, do you wanna give it another try?”

Orpheus nodded, fingers still drilling a silent mantra at his side. He wasn’t wearing any gloves. Without even thinking she reached over and took his hand. He was cold and his fingers chapped from the air, but neither of them minded the least. Giving a gently squeeze, she added, “I’ve got you. Let’s go?”

A memory sparked in the back of Eurydice’s mind. Well, more like a quote. She didn’t know how it had gotten there or who had said it, but, as she and Orpheus stood hand in hand at the entrance of Ambrosia’s diner, she recalled a series of verse: _Nothing makes a man so bold as a woman’s smile and a hand to hold._

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added some!!! Symbolism!!!!  
> Blankets: So in my english class we're reading Shakespeare and my teacher explained that, when a black flag was flown from the Globe Theatre, it was saying that the story would be a tragedy. As soon as she said this I scribbled it down because hey- what does Hadestown symbolize? A tragedy of course. Also, the red and black (in addition to being a song from Les Mis) are the colors of the show- you know, the iconic red flower and black background.
> 
> ALSO IMPORTANT QUESTION PLEASE READ: So there's already been one Tragic Feels Chapter™ for the characters and I had another one planned but it's different and revolves around Eurydice. I'm worried that the whole comfort/feels/angst thing would be too similar to this one, so I just want to know your guy's opinion if I should write it for a future chapter or leave it out.  
> I'm thinking it'll be about 2-3 chapters long but also impact Orpheus and Eurydice way more than this one. Keep in mind that it would be completely different than the whole Apollo Crisis and probably come up around chapters 9ish, 10ish, or 11ish. I still haven't decided yet and I'm trying not to spoil it here. So,,, yeah give me some feedback. Thanks. <3
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to all ya'll fellow Americans. I'll be spending my week long break sleeping in, reading fanfiction, and binge watching Dexter.


End file.
